Published: Sunday, April 7, 2013 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, April 5, 2013 at 7:53 p.m.

Raspberry and blackberry production is ripening at a sharp pace in Henderson County, agricultural experts say, with the potential to add $30 million in crop receipts over the next three years.

Prior to 2011, there were about 85 acres of blackberries and raspberries being grown locally, said Mark Williams, executive director of Agribusiness Henderson County. Now there are about 188 acres, he said, a 121 percent increase that has raised farm revenues by $5.2 million.

"Including what I know about, we should be looking at adding another 500 acres in the course of the next three years," Williams said. "So by 2016, I'm projecting we'll have close to 700 acres of blackberries and raspberries."

With some berry farmers grossing $50,000 per acre, Williams estimates the county could gain "in the neighborhood of $30 million in crop receipts" just from blackberries and raspberries.

A major driver in that growth is the expansion of production by Reiter Affiliated Companies, which supplies berries to national berry distributor Driscoll's. Reiter-owned Sandy Ridge Berry Farms is currently farming about 65 of its 125 acres in Edneyville, said Production Manager Andy Brownlee.

That expansion depends on "identifying the varieties and production techniques that work," Andrew Maiman, Reiter's vice president for business development and operations, said in an email to the Times-News.

"This will take time and deliberation, but many signs are positive so far and we are very happy to have received a warm welcome from other growers in the area, farmworkers, as well as vendors and suppliers, support services, and people in the community in general," Maiman said.

The growth of berry farming over the next three to five years will benefit not just farmers, Williams said, but the trucking industry, packaging suppliers, fuel companies, insurance agents, those selling plastic and framework for greenhouses, owners of leased land or office space, "and the list goes on and on."

"So if we can get an increase of 700 acres, that's a tremendous economic boost for the county and its agricultural economy," he said.

Berry capitol of the East?

The county's rich soils, milder winters and cool nights during the summer make the area ripe for berry production.

"There are parts of the county where the soil is great for berries," said Larry Stepp Jr., who grows about 5 acres of raspberries and blackberries for sale to area restaurants, bakeries and Winter Sun Farms, a community supported agriculture distributor. "We don't get those extreme hot summers, and our winters are milder than the Northeast."

Douglas Ronan, Driscoll's vice president of marketing, agreed the area "provides a unique growing climate that is milder through the summer than most eastern seaboard berry growing areas."

But its location in the middle of the East Coast market, along with the county's availability of trained farmers, truckers and storage facilities, was a big draw for Reiter, company officials said. Reiter is based in Oxnard, Calif. and its affiliated company, Driscoll's, is headquartered in Watsonville, Calif.

"Why have berries sit on a truck for three days when we can produce them closer to the market?" Brownlee said.

Henderson County is within a 12-hour drive of 70 percent of the United States, pointed out Ken Allison, vice chair of the Henderson County Agricultural Advisory Board, "and we have a great road system and a great environment."

That proximity to major urban markets rife with health-conscious consumers is critical because the delicate berries require a "quick-turnaround," Stepp said. "You have to sell them and get them to their destination very quickly."

Williams said the county is well-positioned to provide that, with "plenty of storage facilities; we've already got lots of trucks coming and going, and we have people in the trucking business with refrigerator units who know how to take care of perishables."

Thorny issues

While berries have the potential to generate good profits, they require a significant investment on the part of farmers, agricultural experts said.

Site preparation, plants, irrigation systems and basic trellis systems begin around $2,000 per acre, Williams said, and can exceed $20,000 per acre if high-tunnel systems are used.

High-tunnel systems, sometimes called "hoop houses," are open-sided plastic greenhouses used by companies such as Reiter to protect sensitive berries from damage by frost, excessive heat, rain and hail, which can bruise fruit and ruin its marketability.

"We always have the potential for hail, and that wipes you out," said Jerry Ellis of Mountain View Berries, who grows 11.5 acres of blackberries under contract for Dole Food Co. on two patches in Edneyville. "We had some last year, and three years ago a bad hail storm took out both of our patches."

Ellis lost the majority of his crop last spring thanks to a hard spring freeze, while abnormally warm weather in other years has brought earlier harvests than expected. That put mountain berries on the market when it was already saturated with those from Piedmont counties and Georgia.

But alternatives for berries that don't "make the grade" to store shelves may be on the way. Henderson County has applied for a $50,000 grant from the N.C. Dept. of Agriculture's Development and Farmland Preservation Program for a project code-named "No Fruit Left Behind."

A family farm in the county plans to match the grant money, if awarded, to build a small processing facility, Allison said. The project would benefit a range of farmers, including berry growers, by allowing them to process fruit that has lost its shelf-life into an "alternative juicing product."

"It won't be pre-packaged," he said. "It's simpler than that, but I see a huge potential for tomatoes, strawberries, blackberries and those crops that have a narrow window of viability, that maybe don't make No.1-grade but can be taken to this facility. It's very exciting and I think it'll be a wonderful asset for the county."

Brownlee agreed the processor would be great for berry farmers, since it would create a new market for fruit that has to be removed from canes anyway. Even bruised or overripe berries have to be stripped off to prevent pests and ready the canes for the next crop, whether there is a market for them or not.

"It would be really, really good for the berry business," he said. "If you're paying labor to get it off and you're taking it to the dump, any money you can recoup would be great."

Pick a winner

Labor is the biggest question mark for berry producers hoping to expand their operations, according to Brownlee, Ellis and other local berry growers.

"That's going to be the limiting factor," Brownlee said. "We need three people per acre to harvest. Right now, we're holding 65 acres. We'll need 1,200 workers to get to 400."

Currently, Reiter's farms in North Carolina, Florida and other states are using the H-2A visa program, which Brownlee said is "really tedious. So what I'm really hoping for, personally, is a better guest worker program that lets us get our workers and lets them go home."

After North Carolina's E-verify law that goes into full effect July 1, Ellis said getting enough pickers to harvest his crop "is going to be dicey, for sure." That law will require businesses with 25 to 99 workers to check their eligibility against a U.S. Department of Homeland Security database.

But with immigration reform working its way through Congress, growers are hopeful a compromise will allow seasonal workers to return when berries ripen this summer.

<p>Raspberry and blackberry production is ripening at a sharp pace in Henderson County, agricultural experts say, with the potential to add $30 million in crop receipts over the next three years.</p><p>Prior to 2011, there were about 85 acres of blackberries and raspberries being grown locally, said Mark Williams, executive director of Agribusiness Henderson County. Now there are about 188 acres, he said, a 121 percent increase that has raised farm revenues by $5.2 million.</p><p>"Including what I know about, we should be looking at adding another 500 acres in the course of the next three years," Williams said. "So by 2016, I'm projecting we'll have close to 700 acres of blackberries and raspberries."</p><p>With some berry farmers grossing $50,000 per acre, Williams estimates the county could gain "in the neighborhood of $30 million in crop receipts" just from blackberries and raspberries. </p><p>A major driver in that growth is the expansion of production by Reiter Affiliated Companies, which supplies berries to national berry distributor Driscoll's. Reiter-owned Sandy Ridge Berry Farms is currently farming about 65 of its 125 acres in Edneyville, said Production Manager Andy Brownlee.</p><p>"We've got pretty big growth planned," Brownlee said. "Within five years, we're hoping to develop 400 acres." </p><p>That expansion depends on "identifying the varieties and production techniques that work," Andrew Maiman, Reiter's vice president for business development and operations, said in an email to the Times-News. </p><p>"This will take time and deliberation, but many signs are positive so far and we are very happy to have received a warm welcome from other growers in the area, farmworkers, as well as vendors and suppliers, support services, and people in the community in general," Maiman said.</p><p>The growth of berry farming over the next three to five years will benefit not just farmers, Williams said, but the trucking industry, packaging suppliers, fuel companies, insurance agents, those selling plastic and framework for greenhouses, owners of leased land or office space, "and the list goes on and on."</p><p>"So if we can get an increase of 700 acres, that's a tremendous economic boost for the county and its agricultural economy," he said.</p><p><b>Berry capitol of the East?</b></p><p>The county's rich soils, milder winters and cool nights during the summer make the area ripe for berry production. </p><p>"There are parts of the county where the soil is great for berries," said Larry Stepp Jr., who grows about 5 acres of raspberries and blackberries for sale to area restaurants, bakeries and Winter Sun Farms, a community supported agriculture distributor. "We don't get those extreme hot summers, and our winters are milder than the Northeast."</p><p>Douglas Ronan, Driscoll's vice president of marketing, agreed the area "provides a unique growing climate that is milder through the summer than most eastern seaboard berry growing areas."</p><p>But its location in the middle of the East Coast market, along with the county's availability of trained farmers, truckers and storage facilities, was a big draw for Reiter, company officials said. Reiter is based in Oxnard, Calif. and its affiliated company, Driscoll's, is headquartered in Watsonville, Calif.</p><p>"Why have berries sit on a truck for three days when we can produce them closer to the market?" Brownlee said.</p><p>Henderson County is within a 12-hour drive of 70 percent of the United States, pointed out Ken Allison, vice chair of the Henderson County Agricultural Advisory Board, "and we have a great road system and a great environment."</p><p>That proximity to major urban markets rife with health-conscious consumers is critical because the delicate berries require a "quick-turnaround," Stepp said. "You have to sell them and get them to their destination very quickly."</p><p>Williams said the county is well-positioned to provide that, with "plenty of storage facilities; we've already got lots of trucks coming and going, and we have people in the trucking business with refrigerator units who know how to take care of perishables." </p><p><b>Thorny issues</b></p><p>While berries have the potential to generate good profits, they require a significant investment on the part of farmers, agricultural experts said. </p><p>Site preparation, plants, irrigation systems and basic trellis systems begin around $2,000 per acre, Williams said, and can exceed $20,000 per acre if high-tunnel systems are used.</p><p>High-tunnel systems, sometimes called "hoop houses," are open-sided plastic greenhouses used by companies such as Reiter to protect sensitive berries from damage by frost, excessive heat, rain and hail, which can bruise fruit and ruin its marketability. </p><p>"We always have the potential for hail, and that wipes you out," said Jerry Ellis of Mountain View Berries, who grows 11.5 acres of blackberries under contract for Dole Food Co. on two patches in Edneyville. "We had some last year, and three years ago a bad hail storm took out both of our patches." </p><p>Ellis lost the majority of his crop last spring thanks to a hard spring freeze, while abnormally warm weather in other years has brought earlier harvests than expected. That put mountain berries on the market when it was already saturated with those from Piedmont counties and Georgia.</p><p>But alternatives for berries that don't "make the grade" to store shelves may be on the way. Henderson County has applied for a $50,000 grant from the N.C. Dept. of Agriculture's Development and Farmland Preservation Program for a project code-named "No Fruit Left Behind."</p><p>A family farm in the county plans to match the grant money, if awarded, to build a small processing facility, Allison said. The project would benefit a range of farmers, including berry growers, by allowing them to process fruit that has lost its shelf-life into an "alternative juicing product."</p><p>"It won't be pre-packaged," he said. "It's simpler than that, but I see a huge potential for tomatoes, strawberries, blackberries and those crops that have a narrow window of viability, that maybe don't make No.1-grade but can be taken to this facility. It's very exciting and I think it'll be a wonderful asset for the county."</p><p>Brownlee agreed the processor would be great for berry farmers, since it would create a new market for fruit that has to be removed from canes anyway. Even bruised or overripe berries have to be stripped off to prevent pests and ready the canes for the next crop, whether there is a market for them or not.</p><p>"It would be really, really good for the berry business," he said. "If you're paying labor to get it off and you're taking it to the dump, any money you can recoup would be great."</p><p><b>Pick a winner</b></p><p>Labor is the biggest question mark for berry producers hoping to expand their operations, according to Brownlee, Ellis and other local berry growers. </p><p>"That's going to be the limiting factor," Brownlee said. "We need three people per acre to harvest. Right now, we're holding 65 acres. We'll need 1,200 workers to get to 400."</p><p>Currently, Reiter's farms in North Carolina, Florida and other states are using the H-2A visa program, which Brownlee said is "really tedious. So what I'm really hoping for, personally, is a better guest worker program that lets us get our workers and lets them go home."</p><p>After North Carolina's E-verify law that goes into full effect July 1, Ellis said getting enough pickers to harvest his crop "is going to be dicey, for sure." That law will require businesses with 25 to 99 workers to check their eligibility against a U.S. Department of Homeland Security database.</p><p>But with immigration reform working its way through Congress, growers are hopeful a compromise will allow seasonal workers to return when berries ripen this summer. </p><p>"I'm keeping my fingers crossed," Ellis said. </p><p>Reach Axtell at 828-694-7860 or than.axtell@blueridgenow.com.</p>